Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Hitachi and WJCO Establish Joint Venture in Gas-insulated Switchgear

Tokyo and Riyadh, - Monday, May 5th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT/TSE: 6501, “Hitachi”) today announced that it has reached an agreement with Halla Juffali, the Managing Director of WJCO (Walid Ahmad Juffali Company Limited), to establish a joint venture in the gas-insulated switchgear business. Hitachi will hold a 51% share of equity in the new venture,  and WJCO  will hold  a 49% share.  With  an investment  plan  toconstruct a new manufacturing  plant for gas-insulated  switchgear  to be located in Jeddah, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the company will focus on operations for gas-insulated switchgear   from design   and   manufacture,   through   to assembly, installation and sales, as well as handling the entire process at substations from design through to procurement, construction, maintenance, and other related operations.

There is a growing need for a variety of electric power transmission and distribution infrastructure in conjunction with increasing introduction of renewable energy in recent years, in addition to expansion in demand for electric power in emerging countries and demand for renewal of aging transmission and distribution infrastructure in advanced countries.

In the Middle East, an increasing population and economic growth have underpinned a sharp increase in demand for electric power. There is now an urgent need to bolster the power transmission and distribution  infrastructure.There is a particularly  acute market need in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but needs are compelling even on a global level, for gas-insulated switchgear, which plays a vital role in the field of electric power transmission and distribution. Demand is expected to expand even further going forward.

Hitachi aims to expand its transmission and distribution business in the global market and to  this end   has already established   operating   companies   to undertake manufacturing and engineering operations in Atlanta, Suzhou, Shandong, Taichung, Jakarta and Singapore as it continues to promote its global business development.

Now, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hitachi has partnered with WJCO, with which the Company has a long-standing cordial relationship, in making an agreement to establish  a  joint  venture  to  undertake  the  power  transmission  and  distribution business centered on gas-insulated switchgear.

Since the 1970s, Hitachi has constructed numerous substations in the Middle East, mainly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Juffali Group has been contributing to the execution of Hitachi’s substation projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  since  1978 as a local cooperating  partner.  The establishment  of this joint venture will combine Hitachi’s technological capabilities with WJCO’s outstanding position  in  the  Saudi  Arabian  market  to  provide  highly  reliable  equipment  and services.

Looking ahead, Hitachi will mainly utilize its global production and engineering bases to answer  the needs of countries  and regions  seeking  to establish  and expand  their power  transmission  and  distribution  infrastructure  by  providing  entire  power-grid system solutions.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi,  Ltd.  (TSE:  6501),  headquartered  in  Tokyo,  Japan,  is  a  leading  global electronics  company with approximately  326,000 employees  worldwide. The company’s  consolidated  revenues  for fiscal 2012 (ended March 31, 2013) totaled

9,041 billion yen ($96.1 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, power systems, construction machinery, high functional material & components, automotive systems and others.

For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

About WJCO

WJCO, headquartered in Jeddah, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is focused on providing the best in class products, services, solutions and advanced technologies. With a fundamental focus on business and investments that deliver social benefit, WJCO is actively involved in industries which include energy, infrastructure, construction, insurance, engineering, health care and technology.

For more information on WJCO, please visit the company’s website at http://www.wj-co.com

Contacts

Japan: Kazuki Fujiwara

Hitachi, Ltd.

+81-3-5208-9324

yuki.maeda@hitachi-eu.com



EU:  Yuki Maeda

Hitachi Europe Ltd.

+44-1628 585 714

kazuki.fujiwara.td@hitachi.com







Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/10886/en

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